Cliff Lee On Waivers

The Phillies have placed Cliff Lee on waivers, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter). The Phillies were expected to waive Lee this month, when waivers are revocable. Teams routinely place high-profile players on waivers in August to determine other teams' interest. Executives expect the left-hander to clear waivers Friday afternoon, Passan reports.

Teams have two business days to claim players off of waivers, which suggests Lee hit the waiver wire yesterday, when the August waiver period opened. If Lee clears waivers, the Phillies might be able to trade him. Lee can block trades to 21 teams, including the Diamondbacks. The Yankees, Braves and Marlins are not on his no-trade list, however.

The 33-year-old Lee earns $21.5MM this year and $25MM per season from 2013-15. His contract includes a $27.5MM vesting option ($12.5MM buyout) for 2016. If one or more teams claim Lee despite his contract, the Phillies could attempt to work out a trade with the team that wins the claim, assuming Lee doesn’t veto the move.

Let’s play this scenario out. The Phils have put Lee on waivers. The Orioles claim him. The Phils, looking to get under the luxury tax and have room to sign a free agent or two for 2013, let him go to the O’s on the waiver claim.

Since this is not a trade situation, am I right in saying that Lee couldn’t block this?

It’s a big deal because he’s a huge name with an outrageous contract who still has a 99.99% of getting claimed by several teams. Lots of players are already on waivers, but who else fits all those criteria?

Every player in baseball is run through waivers in August. Most are just run through it to hide who a team is actually considering trading, but it never hurts to have every player having cleared waivers so they could be traded in August if a great offer pops up. Teams run players through waivers in groups, every few days. So if Lee is on waivers currently, you can bet there are another 5-6 Phillies on waivers with him right now, and the same for every team.

Only the Rangers would seem to be the new filthy spending Yankees enough to put in a claim, but you have to imagine the Angels would block them like the Giants did with Heath Bell last year. He’s not going anywhere, but hey, at least he’s not Barry Zito. We’re talking about one of the best pitchers in the game, Amaro seemed all the more willing to go over the luxury tax last year but now the shoe’s on the other foot.

i tried to post a link, but i believe it won’t go through since baseball prospectus isn’t approved.

google alex rios no trade clause and you should get a hit for a BP article when he was claimed off waivers three years ago and Toronto let him walk. Will Carroll confirmed with an agent that a NTC is essentially a “no move” clause.

No trade clauses only affect waiver claims if a team claims a player and then tries to trade for him. If Soriano was claimed the Cubs would just let the other team take him rather than work out a trade. Soriano could block a trade to a team that claimed him, but could not block it if the Cubs just allowed the claiming team to take his contract.

Why the hate? The Cubs aren’t going to contend for 3-4 years at the earliest and Lee will be nearing the end of his career by then. I could understand anger at the Dodgers over the Dempster situation, but what’s up with the Phillies hate? (I’m a Cubs fan, btw)

Yep. They forget that NL teams get first shot. Dodgers sit at #7 in the NL.
He has a NO TRADE to AZ sitting at #8. So the Dodgers will have the
first realistic claim to him since they have arms and money in the farm.

The Dbacks will almost certainly put in a claim just to block the DOdgers. The NTC is still in effect, but that doesn’t mean the Dodgers would get next dibs. IT would just mean that either the Phillies convince Lee to waive his NTC to go to AZ or they have to keep him. Once a player is claimed by a team off the waiver wire, regardless of whether he is traded or not, he stops going up the list. The first person in line to make a claim is the only team with the opportunity to trade for him.

*sigh* Waivers work like this: Put a player on waivers then the worst team in that league gets first dibs. As the pass it goes up to the best team. THEN goes to worse team in other league then up to the best. So really the Dodgers have the first realistic shot at him. Even if they dont land him they will make a claim anyways to block a trade to Giants. He has NO TRADE to AZ who sit 1 spot back of LA.

Texas may put a claim on him. They aren’t on his no trade list, and have both the money and prospects to get him. They may also have a need for him since they just lost Feliz for the rest of this season and most of next season.

This will definitely keep things interesting in August. The Phillies will have a massive leverage advantage in any potential deal, with Lee being the obvious big SP chip that is available. Amaro was smart to not give into the temptation to trade Lee before July 31. If they deal Lee, it will be for a massive return.

There is NO leverage when the guy being traded has been hurt/ineffective this year, is on the wrong side of 30, and is owed $25m/year for the next three years with an option for a 4th.

It’s similar to Pujols and the Angels. Regardless of how GOOD Lee or Pujols is, their value is significantly offset by their salary. I’d be shocked if the Phillies could extract anything half way decent for Lee (who is an outstanding pitcher).

I’d also point out that their leverage is minimal simply because they can negotiate with a single team … a team that may put in a bad faith claim just to block a rival from acquiring Lee.

They have some leverage especially if a team like the Rangers somehow fall behind the A’s and Angels. Anything can happen, anyone can get hurt and that’s when they will look to the trade market and see one of the better left-handed startes in the league right there able to take any team deep into the post-season. Though I still think if Lee gets traded at all it’ll be in the off-season.

Pirates should make a move for Lee. They could put Bedard and Corriea on waivers and maybe send one of them to the Phillies. Daniel McCutchen, Evan Meek, and Bryan Morris would be bullpen options to replace Correia. The Pirates rotation of Burnett, McDonald, Lee, Rodriguez, and Karstens would maybe be the best in baseball. I think maybe Polanco, McPherson, Sanchez, and Bedard for Lee is a fair deal. If they don’t go f Lee, I can see Roy Oswalt as an upgrade over Bedard, and he would come a lot cheaper. This is coming from a 15 year olds view, however.

Here is a guy that gave up more cash to come to Philadelphia, and this is how he is rewarded, sounds like Scott Rollin all over again, I recall him signing with the Phillies back in the day for less than his true value and then he traded as a trouble maker, when the Phillies failed to use the money, he deserved and didn’t get to get pitching..

Rolen was a TOTALLY different story. He was still under team control and did not yet hit free agency when he was traded. The Phillies actually offered him a contract, which was better than the deal he signed with the Cardinals in free agency, but turned it down.

Rolen deserved all the vitriol the Phillies fans gave him. I’m proud to say I was at the Vet for his first game back on August 16, 2002, and I booed him mercilessly.